Oh I see!
by Naisho
Summary: If Sai gained his human form...what consequences await Hikaru and the go world before them? *STATUS: COMPLETE* (At last! Whew!)
1. Ghostie go byebye

This is my first HikaGo fic and the first one that I'll post on the net. This happened after the time Sai disappeared, Hikaru's first match. But then, the said spirit hasn't vanished yet, okay? I know this is crap but please R&R even if it might make you sick….

To readers out there, I just made this fic because I couldn't stop thinking about Sai having short hair and casual clothes…doesn't he look so KAWAII????? And I wanted to add a non-yaoi story to the few posted here. No offense meant to those who make yaoi coz I read them too ^_^ (more than the non-yaoi actually). I just don't have the ability to make shounen-ai or yaoi. I'm still three quarters innocent ^_^!!!!

Yuna-chan? Leopi-chan? Kill me…not with an ax though…military battalion would be my preference…^_^

Okay! That's that! I know not much people care to read the Author's Notes (coz I know I'm one of them!)!!!! Flames and such are much appreciated coz I know I suck!

Disclaimer's Notes: Hikaru no Go is not mine lest you ask. It's the property of Hotta Yumi, Obata Takeshi and, of course, Shueisha & Studio Pierrot©!!! I just don't get it anyway. I don't get why people ask if it's owned by the author of the fanfic! I mean, that's why it's called _FANfiction!!!! It's made by the fans!!!! And, PUH-LEASE!!!! It's classified in a show, series, movie or whatever it is!!!!!_

No offense meant to anyone…I'm just a person….

*sigh* Yare yare desu ne….

**OH, I SEE!**

By: Naisho

**CHAPTER ONE**

**            _Ghostie go bye-bye_**

"Hmm…." Hikaru Shindo looked at the sent schedule to him. He was now a pro after and his first game will start tomorrow. He couldn't hide his excitement all week since he got the schedule but, still, at some point, he was disappointed that it wasn't Touya Akira, his long-time and ever-sought rival. He was looking forward to it since he got his certificate! But then…he can't always get everything he wanted…right?

His opponent would just be some 2-dan he doesn't even know about! It was…uh…Miya…Miyaza…. Was it Miyazawa or Miyazaki? Who cares anyway? As long as it's somebody! He could beat whoever it was.

He threw the schedule carelessly to his side. "Well, whoever that person is, I'll beat him and I'll catch up to Touya!" he exclaimed proudly, turning to his ghostly companion.

"Since your opponent isn't somebody important, can I-"

"Dame!!!" Hikaru shouted in retort, knowing what the other was gonna say.

Sai's eyes turned teary, "But-!"

"Iyada!" again, he exclaimed his answer in an extra solid way to silence the ghost because he knew that if he didn't put his foot down, Sai would've bothered him about it 'till the end of his days!

"He won't be suspicious!!!!" the Heian ghost pleaded, kneeling closer to the bed his host was lying on.

Sighing, the young pro sat up and turned to him, "No! I _can't let you play! Touya's gonna be there and _he'll_ notice!!!! Can't you be little more concerned about others? I'd get in trouble if they ever find out about you!" he explained, hoping that the spirit would be convinced already, "Besides, I wanna test my ability and I wanna show Touya how much I've improved!" he flopped back to his lying position, turning to face the wall and away from his friend._

"Awww!!! Hikaru!!! If you won't let me play against that 2-dan, then at least play with me!!!" Fujiwarano Sai pleaded in the childish way he always had. "Don't sleep, Hikaru! Let's play! Let's play!" he started shaking the dual-haired pro, who tried to just ignore the ghost. But trying to ignore a persistent and I-live-for-go-alone ghost was too much of a challenge. "HIKARUUUU~!!!!"

"Okay! Okay! I'll play!" Shouted the Japanese Igo player, giving up on disregarding Sai; he took the goban and placed it near his bed where he always does. He sat down, cross-legged, which showed his lack of concern for the nearing game, and put down the two containers of stones. He took the lids off and put both his hands in the sea of stones. "I'll be black." With a swift motion of his hand, he put the stone on the upper left star.

The go genius pushed his long sleeve back and conjured up a fan. With the said item, he pointed to the place he wished his host to place the white stone.

Two hours passed…and the two have played three consecutive games…each with Hikaru being the loser.

"I give up! I don't wanna play anymore!" Hikaru fell on his back, his head resting on his crossed arms. They were already halfway through on their fourth game and as far as Hikaru could see, this game would still be a loss for him. Besides, they could play a game any time anywhere.

But still, the ghost, who had passion only for Go and would be willing to play millions of games, insisted to continue their current game, "Hikaru! Let me play more! More! More!" he pleaded in a tone similar to that of a child.

The go pro turned away from the ghost, his face flat on the floor, "No! I'm gonna lose again and I have a game tomorrow! I'm gonna get some rest!" he stood up then fell on his bed, ignoring the childish whims of the dark-haired genius.

"Hikaru! Play! Play!" he poked his host but seeing that Hikaru was already silent, he stopped. His face became calm and all signs of his immaturity were erased. _I wish you luck in the game tomorrow, Hikaru_._ I know you can win that game._ , "But I still wish that you'd let me play!!!!"

Hikaru opened his eyes. He became aware of the bright sunlight that crept through his room. He reached out for his clock, "Seven." He muttered. He woke up just in time! Wow! Amazing!

He smiled at himself, knowing that he must've woken up earlier than Sai. He's not hovering over him asking for a game like the usual or forcing him to wake up because he was late! But then…did that ghost ever sleep?

Finally, noticing that Sai was no where to be found, he sat up and darted his eyes to every corner of his room.  Yet, he couldn't find his friend. _K'so! Where did he go to?! , he jumped out of his bed and dashed straight to his door but then…_

"AAAH~!" he screamed, tripping over something he knew was never there…until now.

"Hikaru? What's happening there?" his mother's voice shouted from downstairs.

The go pro rubbed his head and shouted back, "Yeah! I'm okay! I just fell down!" he turned around to clarify himself of what he tripped over.

His jaw dropped open. He involuntarily stuttered and flinched as he stared at the reason of his fall.

"No way…! This can't be true!" he muttered under his breath.

Beside his bed, sleeping soundly was the _solid figure of his go tutor. Fujiwara no Sai._

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There! Me finished the first chapter!!!! Yippee!

Okay, just that. I'll be uploading the next chapter probably next week. Depends on how fast I work. And speaking about my speed, I get more hyper-drive if I get reviews because at least I'm not just doing this for myself, I'm doing it for the readers too!!!!

Hey, tell me if there are grammatical errors, okay? I don't have a beta reader.

Forgive me if there are lots of OOCness. I'm just a beginner and this is my first HnG fic ever!

Reviews, flames, etc. are much appreciated!

And I don't think if I can upload anything until next week because summer is over and I need to focus on my studies. Hehehe…daijobou. I'll be trying to upload a chapter per week!

Okay! That's all! Hope you'll like this crap!


	2. I don't need you either!

GOMEN NASAI!!!! I haven't uploaded in the previous week (I was supposed to post up two once again T_T) because my mom _corrupted our computer and I couldn't access to it for almost _2 weeks_!!!! I couldn't even continue this crap!!!! I'm cursed! I'm cursed!!! *gets shot in the head by a sniper rifle*_

*gets revived by untested elixir* Well…anyway…nobody cares (except me, I, myself, my alter ego, my clone, my twin, my reflection, my shadow…*gets hit on the head by an anvil then run over by a military tank*) Okay! Okay! I'll stop now!!!

Now!!! May I present to you…drum roll please…CHAPTER THREE!!!

Disclaimer: Aren't you guys tired of reading disclaimers? I'm tired of typing these, you know. Hikaru no Go is copyright of Shueisha and Studio Pierrot; created by Hotta Yumi and Obata Takeshi.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

**CHAPTER THREE**

**            _I don't need you either!_**

They entered a sushi store. Unfortunately, they couldn't enter the ramen shop because of Sai's previous mishap so Hikaru was left with no choice but to follow Waya to his favorite sushi bar.

Hikaru and Waya watch as all the plates that pass Sai vanish in a split second.

Waya took out his wallet and peered in it. _Damn…I don't have enough money for this! , He turned back to the dark-haired go genius. He grew sweat dropped. __This guy looks like he hasn't eaten anything for a thousand years!!!!_

Hikaru's jaw dropped. _Sai could eat this much?! He's beaten me by a mile!!!!_ , He put his hand over the pocket where his wallet was. _I hope Waya's gonna pay for this._

"Hey." The red-headed pro whispered, "You're gonna pay for everything _he_ ate!!! He's _your guest!!!!" He nodded his head towards Sai. "What's the matter with that guy? He eats as though he hasn't eaten for a thousand years!!!!" he exclaimed sardonically, unconsciously raising the decibels of his voice to level that Sai would hear quite clearly._

For the first time in about twenty minutes, Sai dropped his utensils, letting the food pass the other pros and beamed brightly at Waya. "Hey, how did you know that? You're still as witty as ever, Waya-kun!!!!" he exclaimed in pure honesty as that is his nature.

"Wha-?" Waya blinked, amazed at how childish this _older guy can be._

Hikaru flinched. _A th-th-thousand years?!_ , he wanted to go to a wall and bang his head. _Why does Waya have to have such precise instincts?!_

"I haven't been eating for a thousa-"

Hikaru clamped his companion's mouth tightly much like the way Sai used to do to him. "Don't listen to him! He's a bit crazy up here!" he pointed to the side of his head and made a circular figure with his pointed finger.

"I noticed that." Again, Waya noticed the weird way Hikaru was acting…how nervous and jumpy he was…_too_ UN-Hikaru like. Surely, – if he asks _any_ question – his friend wouldn't just let something slip that easily by the way he was acting. So, he decided to go with the flow and see what happens. He'll get answers, no doubt.

Sai picked up his chopsticks and darted for another plate but Hikaru stopped him. "Hikaru~!!!!" he whined, half-pouting and half-angry. "I wanna eat more!!!! You know I haven't eaten anything for about a thousand years!!!!!!!" he whispered.

The young pro shook his head, "That's _you're fault!!!! Besides, you're gonna leave me bankrupt, you know?!" he scolded his dependant. "Com'n now. We're leaving." He said in a firm voice that made Waya think of his mother._

_Sheesh…Shindo like this…is waaaay__ too eerie. He acts like a parent!!!! , Waya forced a smile and gave a small wave when Hikaru glanced at with the nervous look he had been keeping ever since that 'Fujiwara Saino' came. He felt pretty sure that that wasn't his real name._

Both Hikaru and Sai stood up simultaneously. "Uh, Waya?" Hikaru called, "Let's go back to the institute now. _Fujiwara-kun, here, is gonna go and explore the town, __riiiiight?" he darted a sharp look at Sai, who just nodded helplessly._

They paid for the food and left; Waya and Hikaru going to the right and Sai to the left.

The go genius tugged Hikaru's shirt, "Hikaru…I _still don't have money to-"_

Hikaru sighed. He pulled out his wallet, took out some cash enough for a ride home and some snacks then thrust the wallet towards the childish go player. "Here. Just don't use all of it for food because if you do, then…" he put on an ominous voice that was sure to frighten this guy, "You'll never be able to play go!"

Sai's scared face was shown then a solid face of mocking seriousness replaced it. He gave a salute, turned towards his way and walked in a robotic manner. "I will not spend this for food! I will not spend this for food! I will not spend this for food!!!" he muttered to himself.

Hikaru chuckled a bit then went after Waya.

"What was that all about?" Waya asked, not bothering to look at the other's face.

"Oh that? That's nothing. I just told him something." The dual haired pro grinned widely, finally regaining back his true self because of the loss of weight from his shoulders.

"You know what? That Fujiwara guy reminds me of somebody…you know that?" he muttered in a fake carefree voice, "I don't know. I think it's somebody I played with in the internet!"

Hikaru stopped in his tracks. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes tightly. _Please let him pass it…_

"I'm probably just dreaming, ne? Shindo?" He put on a playful smile, happy with the reaction Hikaru gave to him.

He nodded casually and resumed back to the Hikaru he was.

_Shindo is too predictable and he reacts too much! This'll be so damn easy! , A smirk formed on the corners of his mouth._

"There he is, sir!!!!"

Sai turned around and looked at the man who shouted. He quickly pivoted his head in front of him. _Oh God…it's the owner of the ramen shop!!!!_ , he started acting stiff and walked as briskly as he can.

"Hey! You there!" another voice shouted but Sai didn't dare to look back and just kept walking as casually as he can, which isn't much because the stiffness of his legs gave away his nervousness and fear.

Finally, a hand grabbed him from behind.

The genius go player looked at the one who grabbed him. _What did Hikaru say these people were called? Uh…placemats? Er…I don't think so…uh…what was it…? Palace man? Poland?, his index finger unconsciously pressed on his chin as a sign of his thinking._

"That's him! That's him, officers!!!! He's the one who left without paying!!!!"  The owner pointed accusingly at Sai.

"OH!!! I know! I know!!! You're policemen, aren't you? Right? Right?" Sai nodded fervently, failing to notice the angry store manager beside them.

The two police officers nodded, sweat dropped. "Well, sir, this man here is claiming that you didn't pay your orders in his store. May I ask for your name, please? And pay for the meal you ordered so that we won't get into further trouble." the first officer conjured up a handheld notebook and a pen then tapped the ballpoint on the pad.

"Sa-!" he started but an image of Hikaru's scolding face entered his mind. He shook his head vigorously. _No, no! I can't say my real name!!! What was it that Hikaru called me?_

"Sir, your name please?" the second officer repeated.

_AHHH!!!! , He slapped his forehead. __Why didn't I listen to Hikaru???? , "I forgot." He said meekly._

"Uh…sir-"

"Pay me back, you thief!!!!!!" the owner went into a rage once more.

The two officers calmed the accuser down.

Sai reached for the wallet in his pocket, carefully opening it and peeking at the stash of cash inside (which isn't much). He took out a bill and looked at the number posted on it. _Why did they change the money in the first place? They're just making people puzzled!_

A contented smile breached from the store manager's face. He went to the dark-haired go genius and snatched the bill away. "Thank you, sir. If you had paid me in the first place none of this would have happened." He folded the cash in half.

_Don't use all of it for food because if you do, then…you'll never be able to play go! , Hikaru's voice rang through Sai's head, echoing back and forth. His jaw dropped and a shiver raced down his spine. Without thinking about the consequences, he snatched back the bill, putting it carelessly back into the wallet._

"Hey! You give that back! That's your payment for eating in my store!!!!!" he shouted back, trying to get his payment but the childish player hugged the wallet tightly like a teddy bear.

The two police officers went behind the owner, convincing Sai – once again – to pay back his fine but with the thought of not being able to play go, he became too much of a hardheaded person.

"IYADA!!!!!!" Sai screamed, "Go away!!!! If I give you money then I won't be able to play go!!!!!" he tightened his grip as the three men approached him more with demanding stares.

The first officer put a hand on the genius go player's arm, which turned out to be such a big mistake.

"NOOOOO!!!! LET GOOOO!!!" the dark-haired man threw his hand backwards, causing his grip on the wallet to lessen.

This caught the attention of every passerby within a twenty meter radius.

But Sai didn't notice that – if he did, he didn't have a care. He just kept squirming away like a dog who's gonna be taken to the veterinarian to get his shots.

"Officers, I'll pay for him." Said a young boy with raven hair. He took out his wallet and gave the money to the owner. It was Touya Akira.

The commotion calmed down and subsequently ceased. The by-standers continued on their way.

"You know him?" asked one of the policemen, fixing the position of his cap.

Touya nodded, "His name is Fujiwara Saino. I'm sorry for the trouble he has given but he just came from abroad and hasn't been able to adjust with the sudden changes of his surroundings. Please forgive him." He made a formal bow, which was god enough to convince the officers and the owner to leave and let the situation be.

The two officers gave Sai and Touya a slight salute, "Well, a good day to you both. And Fujiwara-san?" he called, "You're nihon is very good for someone coming from abroad." Then they left the two alone.

Touya sighed. He wasn't used to lying to anyone but, in this case, he was desperate to know who this guy is – or was. He had overheard Hikaru calling him Sai…the internet player who was known to be undefeated so far…the one who caused a stir in the amateur tournament last year…the one who defeated him in net go…and the key to solving the mystery within his rival. He didn't care if he was going to miss his two games this afternoon. Those weren't important and he could always catch up any time he wanted but this…was probably a one-in-a-million chance.

Touya turned to face Sai but only found his sneaking away from him. "Uh…Fujiwara-san? Onegai shimasu, I need to talk to you." He said very seriously but Sai didn't want to get in trouble with the latter pro.

Sai just stood up properly and zoomed away from Touya.

"Wait! Onegai!!! Come back!!! Don't run away from me!!!!" Touya followed, brisk walking at first but he found it insufficient to keep his prey in sight. Without further a due, he chased Sai in a full run.

Hikaru glanced at the goban beside him. Touya was supposed to be playing there but twenty minutes has passed and he still hasn't shown up; he isn't even the type of person that becomes late or forgets – especially if it concerns go.

His foe cleared his throat. He jerked back his head to the goban, quickly taking a stone and placing it on the spot that would surely block his opponent. The 2-dan's eyes grew wide; he hadn't anticipated that move and, seeing that Hikaru wasn't completely focused, he figured he might take an easy win but…this beginner-dan was far better than he expected.

Again, Hikaru's eyes wandered to the other goban. He saw his rival's opponent stand up and approached the table to record and default win. He could see the smirk pasted on that guy's face.

_I'm gonna beat this guy once we face each other! , Hikaru stared, eyes narrowing. __He's just lucky that Touya's not here!_

_I wonder…where did he__ go? I just hope he comes tomorrow for our game._

Touya entered his father's go salon.

"Oh, Touya-kun? Your games are finished already?" Ichikawa looked curiously at the young boy. She noticed an older man behind him, tagging along happily, "Uh…you brought another friend?" she asked, staring the dark-haired man.

Touya nodded with a half smile, "Yes." He said, going to the table he usually used with Sai tugging along with him.

Ichikawa followed the young pro with her eyes. She pondered about the answer Touya gave her, not knowing if he meant that for the first or second question she asked.

The young pro sat in the chair and looked at Sai as he sat eagerly across him. He didn't know how he did it but he had convinced him to come. With just the word 'Igo', he was able to make Sai stop from his steps and, instantly, the guy he was chasing freely came to him with childish antics. If he didn't know well enough, he's say that this guy's a kid.

"Nigiri." Touya muttered but his opponent had go stones clutched inside his right hand.

Sai got black.

Hikaru got back home. His mother greeted him and offered supper but he passed. He instantly dashed towards his room, hoping that Sai would be there.

"K'so…." He muttered, throwing his backpack to the side.

Sai wasn't there. He knew he wouldn't be but still he hoped. "Sai should be here NOW!!!!" he complained to himself but he knew it was mostly his fault for not telling the said go genius to go back home once he had finished playing. He didn't even showed him the way back home…or even told him the necessary pointers. Still, he'd never take full fault and he felt slightly better to be able to blame someone else than himself.

But now that he had thought about the situation…did Sai _ever stop playing go?_

It was already late in the evening and Sai had been playing go for three hours straight. He had been very careful about disguising his technique but whatever he did, the winner of the match was decided.

Touya's eyes widened in shock. The emotion he felt when Hikaru had beaten him two years ago rose back into his whole body. His arms started shaking; he had no control at all. He had lost.

Sai looked at Touya, feeling guilty about slicing this gifted player in half. He didn't want to be asked about anything at all so he stood up, put the stones back in their caskets and left without turning back at his opponent. He didn't know why but…he felt like he wouldn't be able to answer anything without Hikaru with him. It was as though he had lost himself when he was separated from his former host.

Touya took a deep breath and sighed. That game Fujiwara Saino showed was incomparable…. He was beaten completely with the biggest loss he had ever gained since he started as a pro.

Ichikawa approached him and patted his shoulder. "Touya-kun, do you want me to drive you home?" she asked softly, seeing clearly that he was in such grief.

The young boy posted a forced smile on his lips. He gave a slight shake of his head and stood up, "No thanks, Ichikawa-san. I'll be walking home." He made a small bow then left.

_That play was surely disguised…but no doubt…he is_ Sai.__

The night was deep. For the first time in a thousand years time, he felt the wave of sleep pass through him. Sai walked, almost dragging his feet in every step, towards the place he recognized as home. His thoughts of worrying and fear had left him and all he could think about was sleeping in a nice comfy bed.

"Where in the world have _you_ been?!?!?!" Hikaru exclaimed in a half whisper. He had his arms crossed and was leaning on the door behind him. He obviously had been waiting for this man.

But Sai ignored him – or rather, he couldn't hear him. He was too tired and this new – and old – sensation was overpowering his every move. _I guess this is what Hikaru feels every night I force him to play me…. Sleeping must be a good experience…after a thousand years._

"Sai!!! Listen to me!!!" Hikaru shouted as Sai entered his house and went up his room. His mother's head popped from the kitchen and looked suspiciously at her son. Good thing, Sai was already out of sight.

The dark-haired go genius dropped on his ex-host's bed and fell deep into sleep in no time.

Hikaru grumbled. _I guess being ignored isn't such a good thing after all. I wonder how Sai could stand this._ , he took out a cushion and laid it beside his bed. He glanced at Sai then back at the cushion. "Stupid Sai." He muttered as he grabbed a blanket and covered his friend with it. "I should be the one sleeping there." He complained but, still, his actions gave him away. He settled down the mattress and slept with no protests.

"Hikaru!" Sai called, prodding the sleeping figure on the floor. "Hikaru~!!!" he insistently shouted once more.

Hikaru sat up, rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Nani?" he mumbled, looking at Sai with half-asleep eyes. He stood up and stretched his arms a little. He yawned once more but the memory of the previous night, jolted him awake. "What happened?!" he shouted.

Sai shook his head, clueless of the question given to him.

"What happened yesterday?! Why did you come home that late?!?!?!?!" Hikaru inquired like a mother hen. He felt the anger from the previous day surge back into his senses.

"Don't be so angry, Hikaru!" the Heian go player whined, "Touya and I just played go in his father's go salon. He was better than the last time we played!" he exclaimed with such enthusiasm.

"YOU WHAAAT?!?!?!?!?!" the young blonde exclaimed, his voice having both anger and horror to the fullest.

"Hikaru?" his mother's voice came from below, "What's happening there?"

But she was never answered.

Hikaru paced back and forth in his room. "Touya would KNOW!!! You know THAT!!!! How could you have been so STUPID and CARELESS?!?!?!?!?!?!" he rattled on, not caring about the attempts of apology Sai was making. "Don't you ever think about other people?! What am I talking about?! All you ever think about is GO and GO ALONE!!! You don't care if I get in trouble, huh?! YOU'RE–! "

"YAMERO!!!!!" Sai shouted back. He stood up in anger and irritation. "Why should you care?! I'm not in YOUR body anymore!!! I can take care of myself!!! Most of all, I don't need you to play for me ANY LONGER!!!!" he yelled at the top of his voice.

The young go pro recoiled in shock. Sai had never been _this angry with him. In fact, they had never had any fight that sent both of them shouting. But…the things Sai said…was true. He wasn't need at all._

Sai felt the pang of regret pierce him. He didn't mean to shout that way at Hikaru but he couldn't take it anymore. He had always been shouted at and ignored by his former host and what was wrong with trying playing go? However, when he looked at Hikaru's darkened face, he felt like he just lost an important game. "Hikaru…I…"

"Go." Hikaru opened the door behind him. Still, he didn't look at Sai, "Just go. You said you didn't need me then I don't need you either! So, GOOD BYE!" he pointed out of his room.

The taller man hardened his face, seeing clearly that his _friend didn't care either way. "Good bye to you too!" he spat back and left the room. He met Shindo-san halfway down the stairs but he took no notice of her and briskly walked out._

Hikaru clenched his fists tightly. He was half-expecting Sai to apologize and plead to stay but the opposite thing had happened. Besides, he could never take fault.

Shindo-san came to him but Hikaru ignored her.

His eyes became watery. He bit his lip, trying to stop the tears from falling but he failed. He put an arm across his face to cover the tears that fell from his eyes.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There! Another chapter down!!! And looky!!! I've changed the theme too!!!! Anyway, thanks for the reviews you guys have sent! This is for you!!!

Oh and sorry about those who have read this yesterday.... I just noticed a mistake and am changing it…. So, please, read it again.__

I'll be creating the next chapter right after I upload this one. Please review, okay? I know it might be OOC because I just can't seem to get into their characters quite right and the manga was already licensed T_T (the world has ended!!!!!)

And to the HnG authors, who are reading this, please continue or create more fics because…you guys are…my inspiration….

*gets clobbered by a passing herd of bulls* Okay! I won't be sentimental anymore!!!! But really! You guys _are my inspiration!!! *gets blasted by a humongous laser beam from outer space*_

I'll keep quiet now.... I don't think I can take anymore attacks…*gets thrown by a stone* Hey! Stop that! *gets _rained by stones*_

I'll shut up. (Why am I being attacked in this chapter????? Does it really suck that much?????)


	3. Fujiwara Saino?

I'm actually creating this right after I uploaded the first chapter so…which means…I haven't received any reviews yet. I really hope you've submitted reviews and stuff although I myself don't unless it's great or it's finished.

So here's the next chapter, for those who read this and submitted reviews. ARIGATOU GOZAIMASHITA!!!!!!! I bow before your presence!!!!

Hope you enjoy coz this is for you, guys! And this one's longer!

Disclaimer: HnG is _soooooo_ not mine! It's Hotta Yumi, Obata Takeshi and, Shueisha & Studio Pierrot's ©

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

**CHAPTER TWO**

**            _Fujiwara Saino?_**

"Sai! Sai! Wake up!" Hikaru shook his *eherm* _previously ghost friend. With Sai being a _real_ human being, his troubles were double, no, _tripled_. Before, his only worry was about others finding about Sai _inside_ of him and of course, that was accompanied by him being hailed as a go genius without using his own ability._

But now? His trouble was preventing other people from knowing Sai!

"SAI! Wake up!!!!" he shouted.

The Heian Igo player blinked a couple of times then sat up straight, "What?" he turned to Hikaru, "I'm sorry, I just felt really sleepy last night! I didn't know that I could still sleep." He stood up and stretched his arms.

With the way his friend was acting, he was surely oblivious of what had happened to him. "Sai?" he called his attention, "How did you become human?"

The go genius stared with his mouth open, "Hahaha!" he laughed, "You must be kidding, Hikaru!!!"

Hikaru approached the Heian spirit and put his hand on his chest, "See. My hand won't go through you anymore!" he kept pounding lightly.

"You mean…I can play on my own now? I'm alive again?" he asked in such an inquiring look that Hikaru couldn't help but nod, "YIPPEEE!!!!" the childish go genius screamed, jumping up and down. "Let's go play! Play! Play!" he pushed his former host towards the door.

"Wait! Wait!" he pushed back, "You can't go out wearing _that!" he pointed at the white robes of his friend. Obviously, if anyone would see him right now, they'd think that he's some theatre actor who forgot his clothes and got into his character too much._

"Why? What's wrong with my clothes? Everybody wears this!" Said extended his arms to his side.

"Yeah. Everyone in _your_ time!" he agreed mockingly, "And your hair? Nobody wears their hair that long anymore!!!! You'd look _too_ suspicious!!!" he turned around and dashed towards his door, "Wait here! I'm gonna get you something _more_ decent!" then, he disappeared outside.

Sai narrowed his eyes, then, turned to a nearby mirror, "My clothes don't look weird! They're fine!" he pouted. A smile crept up to his face, realizing that he was now looking at his reflection. _I guess I am alive once more. I can get to the hand of God now without the help of Hikaru. But then…Hikaru…will I be allowed to stay with him now that I don't need his body anymore?_

The door opened and Hikaru came in with a pale blue polo, black slacks and a pair of black formal shoes. "I got this from dad! Try it on!" he threw the clothes towards the go genius, who, in turn, fell down the floor.

Three minutes later…

"Hey! It's a perfect fit!" Hikaru exclaimed, looking at his friend, sitting down cross-legged. He had a bright smile pasted on his face.

Sai, on the other hand, looked very uncomfortable. He felt alienated by the loss of his formal kimono and his hat. He felt like he would fell down once he takes a step with these new clothes.

"Just one last thing…." He reached for a scissors behind his back and slowly crept up behind the formally dressed go genius.

The go genius blinked a couple of times, "Hikaru? What are you doing?" he followed his friend with his eyes. A glint of silver behind his back signified the intention of the young pro that was carefully tip-toeing behind him.

"NO! Hikaru! Don't!!!!" he evaded the dark-haired pro.

But unfortunately, Hikaru has more maneuver ability than the taller male. He tripped the go genius down and cut the long hair to a length much like his.

Now, Hikaru stepped back to see what Sai looked like. His hair was considerable shorter, that's a fact, and he looked more like a boy now than before. He looked like a cross between Hikaru, Isumi and Touya!

"You look better in that cut, you know!" Hikaru beamed at his friend.

Sai's face scrunched up, he crossed his arms and pouted, "Hikaru! You shouldn't have cut my hair!!! That's not allowed in the Heian court! Now look! I'll never be able to play there!" he shouted at him.

But the young pro just laughed, "But there's no Heian court here!"

The other go player nodded in his usual juvenile manner, realizing the truth in Hikaru's words. "Then let's play Igo NOW!!!!" he insisted. Despite the fact that he was now free to do anything he wishes; he kept his usual wonts.

"Play…Igo?" Hikaru repeated. He darted his eyes to his clock and it read: seven-forty five. "I'M LATE!!!!!" he yelled. He quickly grabbed a couple of new shirts and hastily changed his clothes. Without further a due, he ran towards his door and en route for the stairs.

"Hikaru! What about me? Lemme come with you!!!" he pleaded, following his former host but found it hard to adapt to these new type of clothing.

"No! You can't! You can go anywhere you like just not at the institute! Touya and Waya will be there! They might recognize you or something! It's too risky! And we _have_ to find out what happened!!!" the young pro answered back. "I'll be going now! Bye!" he waved then rushed downstairs.

The go genius sighed. He _is_ free already but he still felt the urge to follow Hikaru around. But anyway, just the sight of Hikaru's goban made him want to play Igo.

He happily went downstairs, without the least bits of worries. But, his footsteps made noises and by the time he was on the foot of the stairs, he came face-to-face with Hikaru's mother.

"Ohayo, Shindo-san!" he greeted gaily.

Shindo-san was staring at him with her mouth hanging. "Wh-wh-who are you? Wh-wha-what are you doing here? How did you know my name?" he demanded with a pinch of fear in her voice mixed with nervousness.

"Oh, yeah. I haven't introduced myself. My name's Sai! I'm Hikaru's-"

"AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!" Hikaru's mother screamed, "A THEIF!!! A THEIF!!!!!" she snatched the nearest item to her, which was a knife, and waved it frantically in front of Sai.

Noticing that he wasn't welcomed in the house, he dashed to the door and…WHACK!!!!!

He hit the door face forward. _How could I forget...? I'm not a ghost anymore…, he fell down the floor, his eyes in big wide spirals._

Hikaru hurried inside the building, just in time to see, Touya and Amano-san go inside. "Hey!!!! Touya!!!" he shouted, running towards his rival.

"Shindo?!" the mature pro turned towards the running Hikaru. The reporter stopped next to him.

The young pro stopped in front of him, his palms resting on his knees while he was crouching. He took one big inhaling to catch his breath. "Hi!" he waved in his usual way.

"What are you doing here?" Touya inquired.

Hikaru rolled his eyes and threw his hands behind him, "Duh!!! I'm a pro and I've got a game today!!!" he said in an immature and irritating way. He put his arms behind his head and went ahead of his rival. "See ya! I'm gonna be late!" he waved once again and rushed towards the institute.

A small smile crept up his face. Though not noticeable, he was waiting for this day to come; for his eternal rival to catch up to him…despite the fact that that so-called rival was only a beginner-dan.

Fujiwarano Sai strolled down the road where Hikaru usually buys his manga comics. A worried look was on his face.

How did he get here? Well…Shindo-san had instantly called the police when Sai had hit his head on the door and at that same time, he woke up. Without waiting for something to happen, he dashed out of the house, letting his instinct guide him through the modern streets of today. And now, he had no idea where he was – more or less, where he was going. He definitely lost.

"Hikaru~!" Sai muttered in a helpless tone. He had a blank and confused expression pasted on his face and he felt very insecure the way the passing women kept glancing at him. Some of them kept staring.

His face lit up at the sight of Touya Meijin's go salon. All his thoughts were completely erased and were replaced by his thirst for go. He happily skipped towards the salon.

Hikaru made his last move in yose. He took a deep breath then sighed.

"I…have lost." The opponent muttered.

"Arigatou." The young pro bowed then stood up, leaving the goban behind. He quietly proceeded outside the room. Waya followed after him.

_I wonder how Sai is doing now…. He's probably playing go somewhere. , Hikaru let out another sigh. He felt a little sad without the whiny ghost around him. Probably, if Sai was still here, he would've been whining about not being able to play or for a game._

"Shindo!!!" called his brown-headed friend, "Got your first win?"  He bounded up to him with his natural grin.

The other pro nodded with a smile. "Yeah! It was an easy one!" he proudly boasted, "You?"

Waya Yoshitaka shook his head, "Man, I lost _big! That guy was just too good!" he exclaimed in a mixture of disappointment and carelessness._

Behind the two of them, Touya Akira came out with an unquestionable win. He gave Hikaru one menacing glare then turned away and left the two friends alone.

Hikaru couldn't help but stare back at his rival. In that split second a message between them was passed.

"What's with that guy?" Waya sarcastically commented, "It was as though he's gonna kill you with that stare!"

But Hikaru shook his head, "No, that's not it." He stood up to defend his rival as what he usually does.

"Ano…have you seen Hikaru?" a familiar voice echoed through the entrance or the go institute.

Hikaru's jaw dropped. He rushed towards the entrance where he saw Sai talking to a couple of girls who were just gaping and blushing at the sight of him.

"Hikaru!" Sai exclaimed when he spotted him; "I've been looking all over you!" he beamed then left the two girls.

"Uh…you know him, Shindo?" Waya asked looking at the taller guy then at Hikaru.

Hikaru acted as though he hadn't heard Waya. He pulled Sai towards him and rushed away from Waya towards a place where he was sure nobody would be. "SAI?! What in the world are you doing here?!" Hikaru said, half whispering and half shouting. "I thought I told you not to go here!!! Why didn't you just go to some go salon or something?!" he demanded.

"I did go to Touya Meijin's go salon but the lady there said that I had to give money to play so I couldn't get in. I said I was going to watch but one guy there was making such a big mistake that I interrupted the game and pointed out a better move. He chased me out." Said the go genius with teary eyes and a shaking voice.

Hikaru sighed, "Then why didn't you just go to another salon?"

"I wanted to but I got hungry so I went to that ramen shop you always eat at. But then, I didn't have money to pay the food I ordered so the owner chased me out with a knife." His voice became shakier and he started acting more like a child who was lost.

The young pro grumbled. _Why didn't I give him money to buy his needs?! Now, I have another problem here!_ , "Then why didn't you go back home and get something to eat?" he refused to admit his faults in this matter.

"But your mom! She threatened me with a knife!!!!" Sai whined. "I'm hungry, Hikaru!!! And I wanna play go!!! NOW!!!!!" he pouted.

"Shindo?!" Waya shouted from behind them, "What are you doing?! I thought we were gonna eat together!!!!" he reminded the forgetful young pro.

Hikaru looked at the whining Sai then at the angry Waya. "Gomen, Waya, but I have to…uh…escort…uh…Sai." He quickly covered his mouth, noticing that he let something slip once again.

Sai's mouth dropped open. He gave Hikaru a stunned look that said: _Hikaru! You let something slip again!_

"Sai?!" Waya repeated. He looked suspiciously at the dark-haired guy then narrowed his eyes at Hikaru.

"Sai…no…Fujiwara!" Hikaru corrected, resorting to lies as he once did. "His name is Fujiwara Saino. Yeah, that's it. He's my uncle…uh…cousin…uh…friend." He nudged Sai.

Waya blinked a couple of times, "Really, Shindo, tell me the truth! You're making things sound more confusing!" he exclaimed, "Who is he really?"

"His name is Fujiwara Saino. He's my uncle's cousin's friend from Hiroshima. He arrived here yesterday night." Hikaru explained, putting on his most innocent looking face. Sai nodded in agreement, a childish smile invading his fair face.

"Uncle's cousin's friend, huh?" he kept a suspicious look at the two. "So then, are we going to eat or not? I'm getting hungry!" he feinted a convincing tone that made Hikaru think that he was believed.

"No thanks. We're not hungry!" he waved his hands in front of him as sign for his refusal.

"HIKARU~!!!!! Yes, we are!!!! We _are hungry!!!!!" Sai shouted, which caused Hikaru to crouch down and cover his ears tightly._

He nodded helplessly, "Okay! Okay! We're going!!!!" he followed Waya outside. _Trust Waya to do the detective work…damn! What am I supposed to do if they find out this is Sai?! What? I'm gonna tell them that this was the ghost haunting me before and the one who defeated Touya two years ago?! Yeah, right! They are SO gonna believe me!!!!_

"Sai…." Touya muttered under his breath. He turned and left the place where he had caught Hikaru and Sai talking to each other. _Will your mystery be solved now…Sai?_

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ah! Crap!!!!! This is supposed to be a _humor story!!!! It's turning out to be something serious!!!!! How crappy could I get?! I'll probably change the theme once I finish coz I know it's not funny at all!!!!_

*melts on the spot* I'm so not good at classifying stories…. I suck…!

I've finished another chapter and my life is fulfilled (for now)!!!!!! WHOOOPPEEEE!!!!!

Time to bang my head for more ideas in the next chapter….

Thanks for the reviews!!!!! Nanami-san! Nemi-san!!!! You're my first reviewers! Arigatou!!!!


	4. Just One Game

Another chapter is here now. Crap! I don't know what happened that made me wanna start a quarrel between Sai and Hikaru!!!! But I think it suits what's gonna happen next…probably….

Gonna put another boring disclaimer here…^_^;

I'm so happy!!!! I FINALLY received a flame!!! Woohoo!!!! Yeah…coming from me…*sweat dropped*!!!! I FLAMED MYSELF!!!! Yep, I _am crazy…just say it. That was because nobody reviewed Chapter Three T_T *sniff, sniff, sob, sob, weep, weep*_

I'm not gonna go chatting anymore and I'm just gonna show you the next chapter because I am lost for words right now…. And no inspiration going on here!!!!!

 Disclaimer: I want to make bucks out of HnG but I can't because I don't own a darn thing.

Herey! Herey! Next Chapter!!!!!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**_                Just One Game…_******

Hikaru entered the Go institute with a dark aura surrounding him. The fight earlier this morning started a seemingly bad day for him. Yes, he was excited about having to play Touya after such a long wait but this lying urge to scream was preventing him to express any of it.

"Shindo!" Waya called with a bright smile. He mightn't have gotten much yesterday but today was a new day and he felt lucky. "How's Fujiwara-san? Is he-?"

"WHAT?!" Hikaru shouted at his friend. But, seeing the surprised look on the other's face, he shook his head and put on a smile, "Gomen! Gomen!" he apologized, waving his hands frantically, "I didn't mean that! I mean, that wasn't for you."

Waya blinked a couple of times. At first, he felt guilty when he got shouted because he was trying to make Hikaru spill out the beans but seeing the look in his friend's eyes, he put aside his worries and minded the other first. "What's the matter? Got a bad start?" he asked mainly as a friend not the curious person who was trying to learn who Sai was.

The young blond rolled his eyes and sighed, "Exactly." He muttered, walking towards the room where they played. He felt relieved that this certain curious friend wasn't asking about Sai.

"Why? What happened? You seemed pretty mad when you shouted at me." The red-haired boy bounded towards his friend, following behind.

"Just got into a fight earlier in the morning…a really nasty one." Hikaru explained. He didn't need to be careful about not saying Sai's name. In fact, he didn't want to remember the Heian ghost.

Waya shrugged his shoulders, letting the topic pass, "So…how's Fujiwara-san?" he changed, thinking that this would make Hikaru think of other matter and so that he might get some answers.

"I DON'T CARE!!!" The younger boy shouted, sticking up his head. He sank deeper into a negative mood, contrary to what Waya had expected the other pro to do. "Don't ever ask me about him because I don't have anything to do with him ANYMORE!!!"

"Geez…you don't have to be so angry…. It's not as though he killed you or something." Waya pointed out but the other just ignored him. _What the heck happened to this guy?!_

Sai walked down the street with clothes he has worn since yesterday. He practically didn't have a care. Hadn't he been wearing his kimono for a thousand years already?

He felt real bad but every time he thought about the face Hikaru had gave him when he told him to leave just made him feel angry. _Hikaru doesn't care! Why should I care? He never let me play! He's just too selfish!!! , He stomped the ground he treaded on, making passer-bys look. Still, he felt sad with the loss and that was something he couldn't ignore easily._

"AWWW~!!!" Sai shouted, "Why did Hikaru have to be so selfish?!" he said out loud, generally for himself. _And he calls me selfish! Why can't he look at himself for a change?!_

He still had Hikaru's wallet and he was free to use all the money in there. So, to take his mind off the previous events, he decided to just go to some salon and play _all_ the games he wanted.

And before he knew it, he was in front of Touya Koyo's go salon.

"Ohayo gozaimasu." Ichikawa bowed as Sai gave her the money for the payment of his entrance.

Sai looked here and there for someone familiar to play…like Ogata or Touya Meijin…but there was no sign of either. He remembered Hikaru mentioning about a game with Touya today. He would love to see that. But…there was no way he was going to go see Hikaru after _that incident._

He sat in one table and waited for someone to play with.

One minute passed…then another…then another…then another.... He waited for another minute but nobody came.

He tapped his fingers on the table and looked around nervously. He might be patient about playing go but waiting for someone to play with is a whole different thing…especially when you're in such a bad mood.

Before he could shout out an angry call, Ichikawa approached him, bringing tea along with her on a tray. She put the cup beside him and asked, "Are you waiting for someone, Mr.…?"

"Uh…Fujiwara Saino?" he replied in more of a question manner. He knew he could just use his real name but it didn't quite come out right.

"Uh…yes, Fujiwara-san.; you were here with Touya-kun yesterday, ne?" she asked, hugging the tray close to her chest, "He's not gonna be here because he has games today. He might come here later in the afternoon." She explained.

Sai shrugged his shoulders, "Yes, I know that. I was just wondering when I could play somebody. Who is your best player here?" he asked, leaning forward. He had enough waiting and five minutes was *eherm* _too long for him._

Ichikawa gave a nod and called one of the regular customers, who was pretty annoyed by the call.

"What is it, Ichikawa-san?" he mumbled angrily yet he approached her just the same. He saw the eager guy on the nearby table. He sighed then nodded. "Okay, okay, I'll play but I won't be easy on this one!" he said proudly, hoping that his words would scare the other one away but…knowing Sai…that'd even be more of a challenge.

Hikaru put his hands inside the go ke and took out a handful of stones then put them back again.

_Darn…where the heck is Touya?! Don't tell me he won't come?! , he tapped his hand on his knee. He wanted to cross his legs in irritation but with the sensei's eyes looking at him, he had to remain seated in the traditional Japanese stance. _Damn it! This is all Sai's fault!!! Now look at that!!!! I'm having a bad day!!!_ , He did the only thing he thought he could: blame it on other people, which is mainly just Sai._

At that point, he was pretty sure that Touya wouldn't show up anymore. His rival wasn't a forgetful person nor was he someone who normally gets late. It's either something bad happens or he just doesn't want to play with him at all.

With his frustration and anger rising up, he just assumed that Touya didn't want to come. So, he stood up and went to the table to record his default win. "Damn Touya…. Damn Sai…. Why is everyone doing this to me????" he bit his lip as he stamped his win hard, creating an extremely disturbing noise that made those near him hush him up.

He ignored those people and went towards the door to the hallway. He felt really irritated and it was as though the whole world was mad at him. He knew he didn't normally get this angry but…well…that issue with Sai was something else…. It should be an exception…right?

Hikaru went to the vending machine and dug in his pocket for his wallet but…"Damn it…. Sai still has my wallet." He muttered, settling down the nearby couch. He leaned forward and waited…waited for Waya to come out. He could probably borrow some cash…that is if Waya doesn't throw annoying questions at him. 

Just behind the corner, he could hear a couple of voices talking. He leaned closer to hear.

"Did you hear what just happened?" said one in enthusiasm.

"You mean about the Meijin?" Hikaru moved closer. Now this was something worth hearing about.

"Yes, he collapsed while playing in the tournament. They've brought him to the hospital. No wonder Touya-kun isn't here!" Hikaru felt guilty about doubting his rival's absence.

_I should've been more reasonable! , he thought to himself as he watched the two men pass by him. __Sai would've gone crazy if he heard this! He's too concerned about Touya's father! , a true smile played on his face for the first time the whole day. But then…he remembered their fight. He shook his head to get rid of this _unwanted_ thought. __No…Sai's by himself now…. I don't care! , he thought but he knew it wasn't true because he had already planned to visit the Meijin later this day._

Sai made his last move in yose. He had a seemingly contented smile on his face.

His opponent's eyes grew big in amazement. "I lost." He muttered, bowing his head.

Sai nodded his head fervently, "Arigatou!" he said in a happy tone. He was glad that this game took his mind off Hikaru but still…he can't help but wonder what kind of game he's having right now…especially since it's with Touya…. But no, he didn't want to think more. "Please, let's play once more."

There were already a number of people looking at their game. "You sure lost big time, huh?" said one who was right behind his opponent.

"No, that's because I underestimated him too much. I'm gonna win this game!" said the other as he took some stones for nigiri.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?!?!?!?!" Ichikawa shouted in surprise.

Everyone in the go salon turned towards her except Sai, who was engrossed in the game he was playing.

Half of the audience in Sai's game turned and went to the registrar.

"The Meijin collapsed and was brought to the hospital!!!" exclaimed one in panic. With that statement, murmurs and mumbles started in the whole go salon. All the games were forgotten and everyone got into a racket. Even Sai's opponent stood up from his seat and went towards the mob of people to talk.

Seeing that no one was free to play him, he decided to leave the go salon instead. 

Sure, he was eager to be involved with the Meijin but not in that kind; he wanted to play go against 'the one nearest to the Hand of God'. _Touya Meijin's in a hospital, right? I wonder where that is…., He approached Ichikawa and asked, "What hospital was the Meijin brought to?" he had an eager and bright face that made her hesitant to answer._

Ichikawa took a paper and wrote the hospital's address down. Since this man had been with Touya, he must be an acquaintance of the Meijin or something…despite the fact that he looked happy about the grave news.

Sai grabbed the paper and exited the salon.

At last, all Hikaru's games were finished! He could finally go to the hospital to visit Touya Koyo!

"Hey, Hikaru! Wanna go and get something to eat?" Waya called after his friend. He had avoided asking anything about Sai since this morning but, still, his curiosity got the better out of him. He was hoping to get rid of Hikaru's bad mood so that he could freely start his query.

The younger pro shook his head, "No. I got to go somewhere else." He put on his backpack and then his shoes. But instead of turning away from his red-haired friend, he approached him and clasped his heads, "Could I borrow some cash? Please?"

Waya clenched his hand tightly but took out his wallet just the same. "What the heck did you do with your money?!" he complained, handing Hikaru a couple of bills, "Be sure to pay me back, okay? If you don't, I'm gonna go kill you!"

"Yeah! Yeah! I will! My wallet got lost so I really don't have any cash with me!!!" Hikaru bowed consecutively then turned and left his friend.

Hikaru took a deep breath and twisted the doorknob. He took a peek inside.

Inside the room were Ogata, Amano, Ichikawa and Touya's mother. He didn't expect anyone to be there but then, Touya Koyo _is_ a famous person.

He recoiled back, muttering a small apology. _Damn…I should've knocked…._

"No, no, Shindo-kun please come in. They were just about to leave." And at that instant, the four people stood up and left quietly, each giving their looks of inquiry to Hikaru. "You may enter now." The Meijin called as soon as everybody else had left the room.

Hikaru hesitantly approached Touya Koyo. He had his eyes looking from the floor to the Meijin repeatedly as though trying to differentiate the floor from this famous go player.

"Sit down." But Hikaru remained standing, looking timidly at the floor. _This would've been easier with Sai around. At least he'll have something to say._ , he thought. He bit his lip hard. _No, I shouldn't be thinking about him now._

Silence encountered them both. Somehow, Hikaru had been lost at words.

"I'm sorry." The Meijin apologized, "Akira skipped your match today because of me. You must've been looking forward to it."

The beginner-dan shook his head, "No, no, that's okay." He laughed a little,"I wasn't actually looking forward to it…not really…." _Because I just wanted to play Touya to distract myself not because I wanted to challenge him. And here I was thinking of him as my rival._

Again, the deafening sound of stillness plagued above the two go players.

Hikaru started looking more on the Meijin. For the first time, he noticed the laptop near Touya Koyo. There was an internet game displayed on the screen. "You know how to play internet go?" he blurted out, unintentionally. He opened his mouth to apologize but then a thought kept banging on his head. He felt the urge to just speak up his mind.

The older man laughed a bit. "Yes. Why is it you ask?"

"Then…then…would you play go with a friend of mine?" he uttered, "My friend…his name is Sai…he's just eager to play you!" _Why did I mention him now?_

"Sai?" Touya repeated, "Yes, I think of heard of him before. He's an internet go player, am I right? From what I heard, he has been unbeatable since his appearance but he disappeared about a year ago." He looked at the laptop then back at the young pro. "I'm sorry but I have to get used to this first."

Hikaru opened his mouth, "But…" he started reasoning out, "he'll only be available tomorrow!" he cried out once again, completely forgetting about manners. _What the-?! Why in the world did I say tomorrow? I don't even know _where_ he is!!!_

The multi-titleholder scanned Hikaru's face. "Then tomorrow it is. At what time?" he asked.

Hikaru's face brightened up. "Two o'clock in the afternoon!" he exclaimed. That time should be convenient. He was sure he would be available at that time and that was the first number that came into his mind. "Thanks!" He bowed his head a bit then rushed out of the room. Now…his only problem was finding the ghost. He could probably do that in a couple of hours or so. At least he thinks he can.

Sai could hear Hikaru get closer to the door. He quickly rushed to a narrow hallway. He didn't want to confront Hikaru right now. It wasn't that he was upset. It was just because he didn't want to look into Hikaru's eyes and stutter in front of him. He didn't even know if Hikaru felt as guilty as he is but, of course, he knew he arranged the game for him. Yet, he still felt awkward.

Not only that, he couldn't bare Hikaru's laughs when he finds out that he had been eavesdropping since God-knows-when! It wasn't his fault he and Hikaru chose to visit Touya Koyo at the same time. Besides, he was _supposed_ to come earlier but Ichikawa just wrote down the hospital's name not the directions of how to go there. He got side-tracked a bit…a lot…all through-out! Good thing there were still people who would answer his – though hard was it to admit – ignorant questions.

Hikaru ran pass him, remaining completely unnoticed. He gave a sigh of relief then relaxed his shoulders. He didn't bother going to the Meijin now that Hikaru had arranged a game for me. He was thankful that Hikaru did that for him. He knew he couldn't do it.

He just took the stairs and walked as slowly as he can; he didn't want to run into his former host. _Hikaru…you could be so thoughtful sometimes…._

"Tadaima!" Hikaru shouted as he entered the house. He kicked his shoes to one side and ran towards his room but was stopped midway by his mother.

"Okaeri, Hikaru." His mother greeted. "Your grandfather has visited today. He said he wants to talk to you. He's in the living room right now." She pointed to the sala where an old man was sitting comfortably.

He was in such a good mood at that time that he was willing to talk to that 'bratty old man' of his. "Sure." He answered in a care-free manner, shrugging his shoulders as he strolled towards his grandfather.

As soon as his grandfather saw him, he stood up straight and, "WHAT IN THE WORLD DID YOU DO TO MY GOBAN?!?!?!"

The bleached-haired boy jumped back in surprise. He put on a confused face. "What did I do?" he questioned in outrage. He didn't recall ever doing anything bad to his grandfather. He didn't even beat him in a game of go even if he was fully capable of doing so. He didn't get it.

The older man pointed at a goban beside him. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO THIS?!?!?!" he demanding with a pointing hand.

Still confused, he stared at the goban. _That is…that is…Torajiro's goban…. And that stain… "What about it?" he asked. He knew he was the only one who could see that blood stain so what was the problem with the board? It was completely fine if you ignore the stain._

"Don't play dumb with me! Look at that! You stained the goban completely! Don't you know how much this costs?!" again, the old man shouted in fury.

Hikaru's jaw dropped wide open. "B-b-but you could see it?! You could see the stain?!" he pointed at the goban, completely stunned. "HOW?!"

That sent the man into deeper anger. "Of course I could see it! What do you think am I? Blind?!"

_Actually, yes. , he thought but he dared not say that. "I'm not the one who did that! Honest!" he defended himself, putting on his most innocent face._

"Yeah? Then who did? You're the last person who fiddled with this!" His grandfather put up a fight.

Hikaru laughed. "But that was _two years ago!!!" he exclaimed in fits of laughter._

"I don't care!" the other shouted, making Hikaru shut up. "_You're gonna fix this now and __you're gonna give it back tomorrow! Understand?!"_

"Demo-!"

"UNDERSTAND?!"

"Hai…." Hikaru muttered in defeat. Somehow, he felt helpless against a grown-up like this one. If only Sai was there…

He took the goban in two hands, almost disgusted by the bloodstain and brought it upstairs. He set it beside his bed, on the place where he and Sai played every night. He sighed then looked at it intently. _Now what am I going to do with this? , he rested his chin on his palm and sighed once more. __I should probably get rid of that stain now. I don't wanna work with it tomorrow because I need to find Sai. , he stood up and left his room then came back with alcohol and a cloth in his hands. He poured a great amount of alcohol on the cloth and started wiping it on the tarnished spot._

After thirty minutes of wiping the blotch, Hikaru fell on his back, numb from such an unusual work. He glanced at the cloth. It was red already but the blood was still imprinted on the goban clearly as though it hadn't been cleaned at all.

_Darn it…why isn't that thing coming off???? , he threw the cloth to one side and lay on his bed, dozing off to sleep in no time._

_Now where am I gonna sleep? , Sai looked around him. He was in the park and there weren't many people present now, just a glimpse of couples here and there. He yawned then sat down on the bench near him. That was one thing that made him regret leaving Hikaru. He lost a bed to sleep on. And he had never slept outside before…even back in the Heian court._

He stretched his arms and opened his mouth for another yawn but he felt something hit him hard on the head. He looked around him, scanning the area to figure out whose was the fault. But he found none. He stretched his arms once again but found out that he wasn't sleepy anymore. Actually, he felt lively as though he had just woken up from a good night's sleep. He rubbed his eyes to shake off this weird feeling but then…his hands…were transparent.

He felt fear surge through his body. Was he going back to being a ghost?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There another chappie down (is it just me or are my chapters getting longer every time?). Sorry if the title has no connection with the chapter. Please review this one now. I'm begging you. Onegai shimasu, minna-san desu. I'm sorry for being demanding about this stuff. Your reviews surely spoiled me.

I think there'll be just one or two chapters to go before all this is finished. I suppose I might finish it next week or even earlier but don't put your hopes up (not that you would in the first place).

Really, please review this crap. I'm just a started so I know how I suck. Don't worry. I won't put anybody who flames me in the block users. Heck, I flamed myself and I still didn't put myself in the block users (is it possible to block yourself from reviewing your own fic? If not, UNFAIR!!! I've never tried it though….)

Anyway, I'll be flaming myself again if you don't review me. Help the needy. Please. Pleazee?

Okay, just that! Be working on the next chappie NOW!!!!

(Note: I was _supposed_ to post this up yesterday but my stupid idiotic _sister drowned herself in the net!!! Kill her if you please…^_^; Not only that! FF.net's server was down! I had to strangle myself from trampling our PC down!)_


	5. Search

T_T exams are sooooo near…just a few more days and crap! I haven't continued this at all! If it weren't for that constant nagging voice in my head then this wouldn't be here – not that anybody cares.

My apologies to those who are reading this crap. I just didn't have the time to update and our computer was broken and I had to do FOUR covers for the school paper even though it originally wasn't my job (they were just _never_ contented T_T) and I had to do my projects and…

I don't think I should continue ranting like this anymore. What are my problems to you anyway? You can't do anything about it. Only I can do something.

Anyway, I hope some miracle will fall upon unfortunate li'l 'ol me and make me wanna write – er, type!

Disclaimer: Hikaru no Go ain't mine, mind you.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**            _Search_**

Hikaru opened his eyes, groggy from sleep, and turned to the alarm clock beside his bed; ten o' clock in the morning.

"Oh shoot!!!!!" he exclaimed, jumping out of his bed right away. _Damn clock…._, He cursed. He had set the clock to alarm at seven in the morning but…it seemed that it wasn't enough to wake him up.

He rushed to the bathroom and took a quick shower; dressed in the first clothes he laid his eyes on, and then dashed downstairs, jumping over the last three steps. _Crap…. I hope I can find Sai easily. _, he reached for the doorknob but he stopped short. _Where am I supposed to find Sai anyway? He can be anywhere in the town! He could even be lost! , He flinched at the thought of his closest friend being lost and hurt just because he shooed him away. _No._ , He shook his head. __This isn't the time to think about that._

Then, the door swung open. Hikaru looked up. Then, his eyes opened wide. _Damn it…why does he have to be here now?????_

"Where are you going, Hikaru?" asked the cold voice of his angry grandfather. "If you think you can get away from this, then you are _wrong!!!!!" Hikaru's grandfather pulled the back of his collar inside the house before Hikaru could make an escape_

"But this is _important_!!!!!!" Hikaru whined, struggling away from his persistent grandfather with no avail.

The old man shook his head. "_This is more important! If you don't do this now, you will be grounded for a month! Understand?!" he scolded his grandson._

"But-!"

"No buts! You will be grounded whether you like it or not – EVEN DURING YOUR GAME DAYS!!!!" with those words, Hikaru's lips were sealed. He stomped towards his room, letting off an obvious sulking aura.

Sai took one step forward, paused for a minute then stepped backwards once again.

_Ooh…what am I supposed to do? Will I just stand here and hope that Hikaru will find me?, He looked around him but nobody was there except for frequent cars passing by._

Again, he took another step then recoiled back to his place. _But…what if Hikaru doesn't find me???? How can I play Touya Meijin???? Maybe…maybe…_I_ should go find him._

Now, he took a couple steps and proceeded through the streets, going through all the places he could remember during his stay with Hikaru. He rampaged the town for hours yet there was still no sign of his former host.

Sai stopped to catch his breath but then noticed that he wasn't tired anymore. He wasn't feeling human at all. Instinctively, he waved his hand in front of his face and stared. It was still solid.

Being left with no choice, he scanned the area for an internet café and finally spotted one. He approached the shop and held the knob but his hand slipped through the steel handle, which just made him hit his head on the door, flatting his face on the glass. He fell on his bottom, rubbing his red cheek.

"What happened…?" he muttered, standing up again. He swayed a bit then regained his balance and proceeded inside the store with staring and suspicious eyes following him.

Hikaru wiped a sleeve across his sweating forehead. He let out a sigh then took a deep breath. He'd been working on that accursed goban since 10:35 in the morning and, after hours of hard work and trying all sorts of ways to remove the stain. The only thing he hadn't tried was _licking the stain but, good thing, the stain has already vanished before he could resort to such a pathetic way._

He stood up, stretched his arms a bit and snatched a shirt from his closet. His current top was bleached in one spot and another as though he had been repainting his room or something.

He smiled then turned to his alarm clock. His jaw dropped.

It was already 2:05 in the afternoon!

Long gone was his time to search for Sai and he didn't think that the Meijin would neither be the kind of person willing to wait for such a long time nor someone who would be tardy in this kind of event.

"I guess I'll be substituting for Sai. I just hope Touya Meijin won't notice!" he muttered to himself as he rushed outside the house to the internet café where Mitani's sister was working.

Hikaru entered 'sai' on the user's name but the server wouldn't accept it. Left with no choice, he entered a different name. He quickly scanned the list of people on-line and found Touya Meijin. To his great surprise, he was already playing a game…with Sai.

The blonde pro hastily clicked on the game; Touya Meijin was black and Sai, white. It was already on the 18th move and from those moves; Hikaru could readily determine that it was truly Sai who was playing the game.

Questions invaded his thoughts. How could this be Sai? How could Sai have known about this game? Does this mean that both of them were on the hospital on the same day and time? Or does it mean that Sai could still read his thoughts even though they are separated now?

He threw those questions away and concentrated on the match. Soon, he was deeply engrossed in the game that his hand was moving the mouse and clicking here and there on the board as though he was the one playing for Sai, just like before.

Minutes passed and finally, the game had come to an end.

Hikaru pushed his back on the chair's backrest and sighed.

Sai relaxed his shoulders and smiled, looking at his greatest game yet. Somehow, he felt so close to the Hand of God that he could reach it with his outstretched hands.

A sudden piercing pain in his head caused him to stop his reverie. He bit his lip and looked at the game once again.

Hikaru's eyes narrowed at the game.

_Wait…, He put his face closer to the screen. "If black moved here, then it would've won by a couple of moku or so."_

"_If black moved here, then it would've won by a couple of moku or so._" Sai turned his head behind him. _That was…Hikaru's voice!_ , he turned his head around, scanning for a sign of his young friend but there was none. He looked back at the screen and a vague hand pointed at one part of the board.

"Hikaru…." He muttered eyes wide open.

Then, it suddenly hit him. He was turning back into a ghost…and…he was disappearing.

He stood up and faced the door. Without further a due, he raced outside…

But…

He never got there….

Fujiwarano Sai vanished.

The name of Sai disappeared from the screen.

In that instant, Hikaru stood up and raced out of the café, waving a small goodbye and thank you at Mitani's sister.

_Damn it…where could Sai be? , The young pro thought, running through the streets. Soon, he realized he wasn't really angry at Sai. He was angry at himself; angry that he couldn't fulfill the friendship they had; angry at the truth laid in front of him. He knew he wasn't a good friend; he knew Sai would probably like somebody else because he didn't let him play…he knew Sai had all the reason to get mad at him but…_

"I'm sorry." He muttered.

Hikaru entered every possible internet café, asking for Sai and describing his best friend.

Hours passed by and finally, he came to the last café in the town.

_This should be it. , he took one deep breath then entered. He approached the counter and slammed his hands on the desk, which caused all the customers and employees to turn their heads at him. He looked at them, nervously. A goofy grin entered his face as he waved his hands to make the attention focused on him leave. "Gomen, gomen!"_

The pairs of eyes slowly turned away from him, one after another. Hikaru look back at the lady behind the counter. "Uh…well…have you…uh…." He stuttered; feeling very choked by the stare the lady was giving him. He gulped, swallowing all the fear was holding, "Have you seen a man with purplish-black hair, pale skin, standing this tall," he indicated the height with his hands, "and is pretty childish?" he asked with hopeful eyes.

The lady raised her eyebrows in disbelief, she sighed then smiled. "Yes, someone with that description is here." She went out of the counter and waved her hand to follow her.

A bright smile entered his face as he punched the air in relief. "YES!" he breathed. _Sai's still here!!!!_

"Is he a friend of yours?" the registrar asked, breaking Hikaru's moment of joy.

Hikaru nodded his head vigorously.

"Oh, is that so?" she said in dismay.

The tone of her voice made the young pro stop. "W-w-why?"

"No, it's nothing." She smiled, "But if I were you, I wouldn't befriend someone as _crazy_ as that."

Hikaru felt his temper rise at what the lady said. His eyes narrowed at the girl. _How could you call Sai crazy?! You don't even know him!_

"It was weird. When he came to our café, he was pressing his face on the glass door!" She continued on, not aware of the anger forming on her customer's emotions. "Did he come from the mental hospital or something?" she asked, turning to Hikaru.

The blonde put on a fake smile and shook his head. "Not actually…" he muttered. _Pressing his face on the glass door????_ , Hikaru tightened his jaw. _What the heck was Sai doing?!?!?!_

"Well, anyway, it's such a miss that you are connected to that weird man. And you look too cute to hang out with someone like that." She stopped and turned to one unit. "Huh?" she looked at the empty chair, "That person was just here a while ago!"

The go pro felt himself stop breathing. "Wha-what do you mean?" he asked awkwardly.

"Well, I never saw him leave so I presumed he would still be here!" she explained, shocked at the event.

Hikaru bit his lip in disappointment. "Thanks anyway. I'll be going now." He said in almost a whisper.

Hikaru sighed as he exited the store.

"Shindo!" he heard a familiar voice call. He looked up and saw Touya Akira running towards him.

Touya put one strong hand on his rival's shoulder. "Were you just playing go in the internet?! Tell me! And don't even _think about lying to me about this!!!" he demanded._

The blonde shook his head stiffly. "I told you! I'm not Sai!" he wailed, shrugging off the tight grip on his shoulder.

Touya let go and looked at him with his cold dark eyes. "Then…tell me…who is Sai?" he asked. "Who was the Sai who was playing with my father?"

_Touya Koyo! Why didn't I think of him?! , he slapped his forehead, completely ignoring the fact that Touya was there in front of him, asking the question he didn't want to answer. __Sai would've gone to him! He would've wanted to go and discuss the game with him! , he turned to Touya and walked briskly pass him._

"Shindo! Answer me!" the dark-haired pro, followed the other but he was ignored the whole way.

Hikaru raced up the stairs and right into Touya Koyo's room.

He put his hands on his knees and took a series of deep inhaling to catch up with his breath. Then he lifted his head. "Ano…did…uh…Sai…"

A smile formed on the Meijin's face. "That game was one in a million. Nothing can be compared to it." He started, looking at the younger pro, "Thank you for arranging it."

Hikaru shook his head, "No, thank you for taking up the challenge."

"If I cannot beat an anonymous player, then what chance do I have with the Hand of God?"

The blonde looked at the Meijin with curious eyes, unable to respond to the question laid in front of him. _Anonymous…it means Sai didn't come here. , he thought with disappointment._

"I will step off all the titles I hold and will retire from go." Touya Koyo came to his conclusion.

"IYADA!!!" Hikaru shouted but then recoiled and covered his mouth. "You can't retire from go! They…uh…Touya…he…"

"Akira can take care of himself. Would not it be better if one of your obstacles are removed?" Touya Koyo's voice was solid, which signified that no matter what Hikaru does, he would _never change his mind._

"But-"

"I have decided." The Meijin emphasized. "Shindo, I am tired of being bound to recorded games and interviews. I want to rest." He added, looking at the other with eyes like his rival.

Hikaru bowed his head low and gave a nod. He turned away from the Meijin. He turned the doorknob and went out of the room, closing the door behind him. _Now, I made Touya's dad resign from go!!!_ , he looked up. _Where in the whole damn world are you, Sai?!_

In front of him was Ogata Seiji, approaching quickly.

Like Touya, he gripped Hikaru's shoulder tightly…tighter than Touya.

"Tell me! You were the one who arranged the game between Sai and Touya Koyo, right?!?!?!" he demanded, pressing the young pro to the wall. He was losing control of himself and more Hikaru stayed silent, the more he became persuasive.

Hikaru shook his head, remaining silent still. He had one of eyes closed, showing the pain Ogata was inflicting on him.

"Don't lie to me! I know you know who Sai is! If so, then let me play him too!!!!!" he shouted and at that same time, the elevator door opened. He turned to the elevator, loosing his grip on Hikaru for a second and the blonde pro took that chance to escape.

Touya ran out of the elevator, seeing Hikaru and Ogata nearby.

"Shindo!" Both Touya and Ogata shouted.

The young go pro bumped into his rival on his way to the elevator but he didn't stop to apologize.

The doors closed before the 9-dan could catch up with Hikaru. "Damn…" he muttered, turning to Touya.

"What was…Shindo doing here?" the dark-haired pro asked, standing up.

"He was talking with the Meijin."

Hikaru landed on his bed. He had spent all his remaining hours trying to find Sai in the town, asking everybody he passed by. He was tired and he hadn't had anything to eat since today's breakfast – and Sai had his wallet. But that wasn't what worried him the most. It was Sai's current condition. Was he safe? 

Sleep slowly covered him like a blanket, his hunger forgotten.

_Tomorrow…yes…I should…. I'll look for Sai once again. I won't stop until I find him._

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay, another chappie down – shorter than the previous ones, forgive me T_T. Just one last (might be a short one) chap and this fic is finished! Whew!

Oh, crap…I think I made Hikaru's gramps really OOC. I don't know his character so…unlucky me.

Raise your hand if you want that lady who was insulting Sai DEAD!!!! *raises hand up high*

Forgive me if it sucks or thoroughly OOC…this chapter, I mean. I was listening to soundtracks from Mankin (Oversoul [Yomigaere!], Trust You [Why are more and more people dreaming of the other world laugh all the way?], Northern Lights [Ai mo tsumi mo yume mo yami mo!], Omokage [My heart is breaking!], Ryuro [Mae e to taore you!], Chimi Chimi Moryo and Kirameku Kakera [Futari muchuu de kakedashita!]), Weiss Kreuz (Beautiful Alone, Velvet Underworld, Magic Mirror and Piece of Heaven) and Houshin Engi (Will, Friends, Kaze no Tabibito and some background music [I think]) while doing this chapter so forgive me if I have included some insanity in here XD.

PLEASE! Correct me if I'm wrong! I REALLY don't know which color is who's in the match between Sai and Touya Meijin! I just presumed it was what I put up there but I'm not really sure! Tell me if I'm wrong and – if you would please – tell me the scores too! (Forgive me if I'm too demanding XD)

And the dialogue? It's not exact because I don't have a copy of the manga. If you have a problem with it, then say so.

Anybody willing to complain about the grammatical errors are _extremely_ welcome. I know there are some there but I'm just too lazy to change it; maybe, your complaints will force me to actually correct the mistakes.

All kinds of criticism are invited (flames are included too!)

Reviews are much appreciated ^_^

  



	6. Sayonara tomodachi

Woohoo! Last chappie! Last chappie! LAST CHAPPIE~!!!!!! *dances around for joy*

This might be _extremely short_ (in my standards). ~You have been warned~ (You may consider this as just an epilogue ^_^) But there is a _looooooong_ author's notes in the end so it looks longer than what it really is.

To those who are reading this crappy fic, thanks. Thank you for sticking with this garbage to the end. Arigatou gozaimashita minna-san desu!!!!!!

Special thanks to HanaTenshiHimeko-san and Cheska-san. You guys are my saviors!!!! If it weren't for your reviews, this fic would've rotted here for _ages_!!!! I bow before your presence!!! *kneels down and does a knight-like pose*

Also to cocacat15-san, you pointed a couple of things or so in the original chapter. Arigatou gozaimashita desu. *bows in Japanese manner*

Now, I can go do a Touya-centered fic!

Disclaimer: Go is a great game; it ain't a wonder why Touya and Hikaru loved the game (I love it too!!! ^_^) ! Alas…what cruel fate has befallen upon thee! For thou dost own not these two peasants who liveth in the wonderful series knoweth as Hikaru no Go.

*laughs at the disclaimer while pointing with a shaking finger* BWUHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! *rolls over on stomach* That disclaimer was the most _pathetic_ one I've made!!! Woohoo!!!! AND I CALLED TOUYA AND HIKARU _PEASANTS_!!!!!!!! *dies of shock*

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

**CHAPTER SIX**

**            _Sayonara tomodachi_**

Hikaru turned on his back and…

"OOF!!!!" he fell on the floor with half the blanket along with him. He sat up; hair frazzled, and looked at his surroundings with half-asleep eyes. He rubbed his head and stood up, pulling his blanket and lulling himself to sleep once again.

At that exact moment he closed his eyes, his clock alarmed.

The young – and lazy, if you would like to add – pro grabbed one pillow and covered his head, mumbling about making the clock shut up. But the pillow did not penetrate the sound.

"K'so!!!" he cursed, throwing his pillow at the clock but it did nothing but make the device fall on his bed. Irritated and well out of patience, he pulled his blanket over his head and shouted, "SAI! Turn that damn thing off!!!!!" and expected to hear a response like, "But I can't touch that! I'm a ghost remember!" but…only silence answered him. He sat up, throwing the blanket off him, "SAI?!?!" he demanded, looking at his side.

"Hikaru? Who are you shouting at?" his mother's voice called from downstairs.

But, her voice didn't reach Hikaru. He just sat there, staring at nothing but air.

"Where am I supposed to find you, Sai?" he muttered. _Sai loves go so…he should be going to places that go exists. , He rushed outside, searching the town for the third time, but in this round, he asked everyone if they sighted someone that fitted his description of Sai. More than once, he was mislead to another person but no matter what he did there was no such sign of his friend._

Hikaru dropped on the bench near him. After going through all the places he knew and even entering stores buildings that he never knew existed, he dropped on the bench near him, tired, with the heat of the sun overshadowing him like fire.

He dropped his head low, looking at the ground in dismay. _Where could Sai have gone? If he isn't here then…., the young pro felt his body go stiff. __No, I shouldn't. , He shook his head. __I shouldn't be thinking like this. What if he just went sightseeing? Yes, he might've gone and visited Torajiro. He always liked him so he might want to pay tribute to him. , he clapped his hands on his knees and stood up, filling himself with useless determination._

Exhausted and losing hope, Kawai-san passed by him in his taxi, "Hey, Shindo, what are you doing here?" he asked, seeing that the young pro was walking towards the sea port.

But Hikaru took no notice of him and just walked on.

"Shindo!" he shouted this time.

"What?" Hikaru snapped back with irritation at his voice. He didn't even care to look at Kawai.

"I said: what are you doing here?!?!?!" the taxi driver yelled, getting annoyed with the way the blonde was acting.

Hikaru stopped and looked at his friend. "None of your business!"

At that point, Kawai had jumped out of his car and approached Hikaru, ruffling his hair as he always did. "You insolent little brat! Haven't you learned to respect your elders?!?!" he scolded, giving the go pro's head a big push.

Hikaru threw Kawai's hand away and shouted, "Yeah! Old men like you!!!" he shouted.

Again, Kawai proceeded to ruffle his friend's hair. "What the heck happened to you?! Why are you so hot-headed today?!" he shouted in a voice with both anger and concern inflicted.

The blonde stopped, looked at the ground and muttered. "Hiroshima."

"What?"

"I said I'm going to Hiroshima!!!!" he shouted then left Kawai, running away as fast as possible.

Hikaru had reached Hiroshima with Kawai's help, who tagged along with him. His presence was fortunate because the young one didn't bring his wallet, saying that he forgot it even though, in truth, Sai had all his money.

They went to all sites possible – even staying overnight without informing his parents – but none of them had what he was looking for. He described Sai with the tiniest detail he could think of but no one had passed any of the places he went to. At that point, he had lost all optimism he possessed. He just came to a pathetic conclusion: Sai left because he was weak.

"Finish that now and we'll go back home." Kawai pointed with hi chopsticks. "I'm just gonna go to the go salon and earn some money." He muttered with a weird smile on his face and while rubbing his hands together.

Hikaru practically didn't care. He didn't find Sai anywhere. He just wasted his time going there and his energy jumping from one site to another. He put down his utensils and left the store, going to the go salon where Kawai was.

He could hear Kawai's voice as he shouted in anger.

"HOW COULD I LOSE?!?!?!?!" he exclaimed, stomping outside in anger.

"Kawai-san, what happened?" Hikaru asked with an unusual monotonous tone. He looked inside and saw a man with a stature much like Tsubaki. With the look on that guy's face, it was obvious that it was he who made a big win on Kawai's bet. "Let's go, Kawai-san. I wanna go home."

"Sure, sure." Kawai answered with impatience. "I can't do anything about it anyway. A loss is a loss." They turned away and started leave but the challenger didn't let them go that easily.

"You!" he called.

Hikaru turned around and pointed a finger to himself. "Me?" he asked, eyes wide open.

"Yes, you're Shindo Hikaru, right? The beginner dan that played such a bad game against the Meijin!" he insulted, "How could you call yourself a pro?!"

_It was Sai who played that game…not me! , Hikaru thought, clenching his fists. _So, you have no right insulting him like this! He was playing with a handicap!!!!_ , "What did you say?!" he shouted, trying to protect the honor of his friend._

"I bet you can't even defeat an amateur like me!" he challenged.

Hikaru approached and sat in front of him, cross-legged, "Prove it!" he dug his hands in the goke of black stones.

The challenger smiled in content.

"Who is this guy, anyway?" Kawai asked a nearby customer.

"He's Shuhei-san and he has been an amateur representative in Hiroshima. He even played some kansai pros." The man answered back at him. "You? What are you guys doing here? It's normal for a pro to go to places like these without a reason."

"No, we're just sightseeing, looking at Shuusaku's sites." Kawai answered back.

"But isn't there a shrine in Tokyo too?"

Hikaru froze and looked at the man. "A shrine in Tokyo?" he asked and was answered by a nod. "Where?! Where in Tokyo?!" he insisted, lifting his attention from the game to the conversation.

"Hey, kid, focus on this game first. If you don't, you'll really lose." Said Shuhei, who has already placed his stone on the board.

Recoiling back, the blonde looked at the goban. _Of course Sai wouldn't go to a place as far as this! How could I have been so stupid?!?!?! , he took hold of one stone and lifted it. _But…I need to go back as soon as possible!_ , he turned to the board, eyes completely serious that he looked a little scary._ This game needs to be finished…NOW!_ , he placed the stone on one line intersection._

Kawai, Shuhei and the other audience looked at the board in disbelief. Hikaru had been increasing his speed by every hand and by the end of the game; he had completely dominated over Shuhei.

Hikaru stood up and looked at the one who informed them of the existence of Shuusaku's grave in Tokyo. "Where is the shrine?" he asked in a voice deeper than his own.

The man gave them the coordinates of the site. The blonde pro turned around and went out of the salon.

"Wait! Let me drive you there! You're in a hurry, right?" Shuhei offered.

Finally, they had reached the shrine. Hikaru described Sai but again, his search was fruitless.

The young pro sat beside Shuusaku's tombstone and looked down on the ground, filled with disappointment. _Sai…where are you? , he clenched his fists._

"Shindo, what in the world are you looking for?!" Kawai asked for the last time.

Hikaru shook his head, "It doesn't matter, its not here."

"What?"

He stood up and left. "I'm going home."

Hikaru fell on his bed, ignoring the worried calls of his mother.

"Hikaru!" his mother called once again but this time, her voice was louder. The door opened slowly and Shindo-san peeked at her son with anxious eyes. "Hikaru, your grandpa called. He said he wants you to bring back the goban." Then she slowly closed the door, trying to make as little noise as possible.

The young pro stood up and stared at the goban. Now, even he can't see the stain.

_Damn this goban. If it weren't for this, then I wouldn't be sulking like this. If only you didn't show me Sai, I would've lived a better life! , He thought accusingly, pulling the goban close to him in a rough manner. But he knew that wasn't true. He knew he like his life now better than his lazy and nothing-happens-or-goes-around life._

"It was the stain. It was the stain that showed me Sai." He muttered. He recalled his current words once again and his eyes grew big in shock. He lifted his palms in front of him and looked at his shaking hands. "_I removed the stain! It was the stain that made him alive and I…I…I killed him!" he breathed._

His eyes started to overflow with tears that he could not contain. Teardrops fell on the goban, sliding on the smooth surface. He put one hand over his face, covering those signs of sorrow.

"I won't play go anymore."

~+FINN+~

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Before you start reading these notes…BIG TAKE NOTE: Not shounen-ai, okay? I don't think it looks like that but…I know the minds of those yaoi people out there (because my friends are two of those yaoi people).

Gomen, cocacat15-san. I didn't take your suggestion because I wanted the ending to be left hanging like that ^_^. You could add that if you want. It's up to you to decide what will happen (even though I know the true ending anyway but I won't tell P). Yes, I'm an evil author (I like to be called a misanthropist – but that refers only to fictional characters!!! ^_^); I want my readers to be puzzled. Besides, I don't like happy endings in my stories, except for my one-shots (a.k.a. 'character explorations').

My only nihon-titled chappie...FYI "Sayonara tomodachi" means "Goodbye, my friend" – at least I think it does. Please tell me if I'm wrong. I'm not good with nihon T_T but I wanna be.

Gomen nasai minna-san desu. I just didn't bother to put up the details of Hikaru's search because it's similar with the manga/series (never really watched the series so I don't know about this). I just put up a _summary of the events there to keep you guys on track. And is the Shuusaku shrine in Tokyo???_

Awww…Ogata never got the chance to get his game with Sai…~silence~…WHO CARES????

Notice one thing? I always include the sleeping and waking of Hikaru in every chappie. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Please correct any mistakes you can find – that is, if you'd care to take the time to review. Information about the OOCness is a must!

Now…time for the awarding! *clears throat and grabs a cordless microphone* Testing…testing…

Okay! Let's start!!!

Thank you for those that reviewed my other fics. They also gave me inspiration to write this crap.

Thank you to Shaman King (care of Hiroyuki Takei ^_^) especially to Hao and Yoh because if it weren't for them, I wouldn't have thought about Sai having short hair.

Thanks to my Math notebook who kept me in the spirit of go (no goban _literally_ existing here) even though my teacher confiscated it once already.

Thanks to "The Prince and The Pauper" by Mark Twain who gifted me with the Old English tongue and let me made that pathetic disclaimer.

Thanks to this ANNOYING computer that kept hanging and restarting while I was making my fics. You made me go into a habit of saving my document every five seconds. But unfortunately, I'm gonna send a million assassins to destroy you. In pace requiescat *kneels down and assumes a praying position* (_In pace requiescat: May you rest in peace_)

AND, most important of all! Thank _YOU!!!!!!_

*applause in the background*

*the applause stops then starts repeating like a broken record*

AH~!!!!! CRAP!!!! *kicks the stereo*

*sigh* This is what you get when you are using low technology. Yare yare desu ne -_-;;

Seriously, arigatou gozaimashita to everyone who read this.

Fair thee well, my reviewers and readers…*waves a white handkerchief and gets carried away by an unknown species*

HEY~!!!!

Okay! This time it's for real!

**~+OWARI+~**

Mind you guys, owari means _end._

Gomen if I used 'pathetic' too much. I just love that word ^_~


End file.
